Career and Education Opportunities for Prepress Technicians in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

For those living in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area, there are many career and education opportunities for prepress technicians. The national trend for prepress technicians sees this job pool shrinking by about 17.7% over the next eight years. Prepress technicians generally set up and prepare material for printing presses.

A person working as a prepress technician can expect to earn about $12 per hour or $25,330 annually on average in South Dakota and about $16 hourly or $35,030 yearly on average in the U.S. as a whole. Prepress technicians earn more than people working in the category of Book Binding and Printing generally in South Dakota and more than people in the Book Binding and Printing category nationally.

There is one school within twenty-five miles of Sioux Falls where you can study to be a prepress technician, among ten schools of higher education total in the Sioux Falls area. Prepress technicians usually hold a post-secondary certificate, so it will take a short time to learn to be a prepress technician if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Prepress Technician

Prepress Technician video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, prepress technicians set up and prepare material for printing presses.

Every day, prepress technicians are expected to be able to see details at a very fine level of focus. It is also important that they evaluate problems as they arise.

It is important for prepress technicians to enter and alter text size, using computers, to make up and arrange pages so that printed materials can be produced. They are often called upon to maintain and clean equipment, and perform minor repairs. They also enter and retrieve data on computer-aided equipment. They are sometimes expected to examine photographic images for obvious imperfections before plate making. Somewhat less frequently, prepress technicians are also expected to enter and alter text size, using computers, to make up and arrange pages so that printed materials can be produced.

Prepress technicians sometimes are asked to inspect developed film for specified results and quality, using magnifying glasses and scopes; forward acceptable negatives or positives to other staff or to customers. They also have to be able to mix solutions such as developing solutions and colored coating solutions and reposition lamps and adjust aperture controls in order to furnish high quality images. And finally, they sometimes have to examine unexposed photographic plates to uncover flaws or foreign particles before printing.

Like many other jobs, prepress technicians must be thorough and dependable and be reliable.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Prepress Technician Training

Southeast Technical Institute - Sioux Falls, SD

Southeast Technical Institute, 2320 N Career Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57107-1301. Southeast Technical Institute is a small school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 2,138 students. Southeast Technical Institute has an associate's degree program in Prepress/Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design which graduated thirty students in 2008.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Sioux Falls, South Dakota photo by AlexiusHoratius

Sioux Falls is located in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. It has a population of over 154,997, which has grown by 25.0% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Sioux Falls, 81, is well below the national average. New single-family homes in Sioux Falls cost $149,700 on average, which is above the state average. In 2008, five hundred eighty-six new homes were built in Sioux Falls, down from 1,000 the previous year.

The three big industries for women in Sioux Falls are health care, finance and insurance, and educational services. For men, it is construction, finance and insurance, and accommodation and food services. The average commute to work is about 16 minutes. More than 27.8% of Sioux Falls residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 7.6%, is lower than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Sioux Falls is 5.1%, which is greater than South Dakota's average of 4.5%.

The percentage of Sioux Falls residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 66.8%, is more than both the national and state average. Messiah Church, Sunnycrest Church and First Convenant Church are some of the churches located in Sioux Falls. The most prominent religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Methodist Church.

Sioux Falls is home to the Elmwood Golf Course and the Cactus Hills Country Club as well as Pioneers of Minnehaha County Monument and Picasso Park. Visitors to Sioux Falls can choose from Kelly Inn, Fairfield Inn Sioux Falls and Albert House for temporary stays in the area.